We only have 3 more days of summer vacation left before it’s off to the races again! The hectic pace of the school year is upon us, so make ahead and freeze ahead meals like this oven-baked frittata are a MUST for our family!
You can literally put ANYTHING you want into this frittata recipe! There are no exact measurements needed with this one, but I will give you an idea of the milk (or milk substitute) to egg ratio so that you end up with a nice texture. As for the rest, just use whatever leftovers you have in the fridge!
When I made this yesterday, I was really just looking for a good way to use up some fridge, freezer and pantry ingredients that were nearing the end of their useful life. So for us, I added zucchini, ground turkey, mushrooms, garlic, onion, and green bell peppers to the egg mixture.
If you are using frozen veggies, defrost them and drain off the extra liquid before adding them to the mixture. Since I had frozen my green peppers while they were raw, and was also starting with raw onions, garlic and zucchini, I decided to saute them for a few minutes before mixing them in with the eggs. If you want more texture, you can leave the veggies raw before baking. The mushrooms were canned, so I just threw them in at the end.
I also browned the ground turkey before adding it in. With both the meat and the veggies, be sure to drain out any excess liquid before adding them to your eggs!!!
Another pro tip: You’ll make much less of a mess and avoid an overflow if you add your extras into your greased pan FIRST and THEN pour the eggs overtop.
This meal can be made in more ways than anyone can count! You could use meats, such as ground turkey, ground beef, bacon, ground pork, venison, sausage, kielbasa, ham, etc. You can add veggies such as the ones I used, or red peppers, broccoli, spinach, kale, jalepenos, scallions, chives, leeks, peas, other hot peppers, etc. If you can tolerate dairy, this would also be delicious with some shredded cheddar, Mexican or taco seasoned cheese mixed in. If you have allergies, there is a brand of dairy free, soy free cheeses called Daiya that is a very good tasting cheese substitute (the best I’ve found!) and also has a really nice melty texture to it. I highly recommend it!
To make the frittata, I used 12 eggs. I could have fit some more into the 9″x13″ pan, but I wasn’t sure how much it would rise in the oven, so I only filled the pan halfway. I could have probably gotten away with filling the pan 3/4 of the way, but you may need to cook it a little longer if you do that to ensure that the eggs are cooked thoroughly.
When you are adding eggs into a mixture, it is best to crack them into a separate bowl first so that you can easily remove any pieces of shell or blood spots that you don’t want ending up in your food. Every once in a while, you may get a bad egg, so cracking it into a separate bowl before adding it to the rest of them in the bigger bowl will prevent you from wasting ingredients and having to start again.
Since eggs can be a little bland on their own in the flavor department, I like to add some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to season them up. I also did the same with the meat and veggies. Then I just added 1/3 cup of milk substitute, mixed it up and poured it over the meat and veggies. Into the oven it went, and about 40 minutes later…
I had a moist, satisfying and HEALTHY meal, packed with protein and vitamins! I cut it into squares and stored the extra in the freezer for a quick meal on-the-go whenever I need it! The full recipe is below, and as always, please feel free to email me at anne@blessingsinsurprise.com with any questions or comments.
- 12 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk or milk substitute
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (use more if desired)
- 1/8- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- any type of veggies you desire
- shredded cheese or cheese substitute, if desired
- cooking spray or butter to grease pan
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Prepare your vegetables and/or meats by defrosting and/or sauteeing, if desired. Use some of the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper to season to taste.
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Drain any excess liquid from the veggies and cooked meats.
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Place the veggies and/or cooked meats into a GREASED 9"x13" pan.
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Combine eggs, milk or milk substitute and the remaining garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper. Pour the mixture over the veggies/meats.
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Carefully sprinkle on some shredded cheese or cheese substitute, if desired.
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Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes or until cooked through. Note: My pan was only about halfway full when I put it into the oven. If you fill your pan higher, additional cooking time may be required!!!